IndexHistorical Context and Purpose of the Texas State ConstitutionThe Question of Population GrowthConclusionThere are a variety of purposes for a state constitution. The central objective is to characterize the principles of society and states. It also recommends political objectives for the good of citizens. They do this by laying out the specific foundations that individuals will use to achieve their goals and by establishing who can participate in political decisions and who can be elected to public office. It also describes the alliance between government and the governed and sets restrictions on what a group can and cannot do. Furthermore, the Constitution could resolve any issue through institutional arrangements. Finally, it describes the structure of state and local governments and defines their powers and limitations. A well-constructed constitution should be brief, provide general principles as well as a basic governing structure, and foster orderly change. In this case, the Texas Constitution of 1876 does not fulfill the purpose of a state constitution for the following reasons. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Historical Context and Purpose of the Texas State Constitution The Texas Constitution of 1876 is full of unnecessary and confusing details at over 9,000 pages. It also required frequent changes to meet a certain criterion. Furthermore, it has been edited more than 491 times. When it was written it was constitutional legislation rather than a general principle, representing distrust in government throughout Texas. The current Texas Constitution was ratified in February 1876, it has many strengths and weaknesses, with revisions made to it. The Texas Constitution of 1876 has been criticized for its inequitable public education system. The public school system is decentralized, meaning that local officials have been given the essential responsibility of overseeing public education that leads to injustices. Another weakness of the Constitution is that it cannot be easily adjusted to meet the changing needs of the state, therefore it requires a balanced state budget. Surprisingly, the Constitution was used to slow democratic development in Texas. This was done by limiting the individual rights of African Americans and other groups from participating in elections. Furthermore, the constitution contains further details with over 9,000 pages. Constitutional amendments have occasionally been passed to correct the constitution, but problems remain. Another very important criticism is that the various restrictions and prohibitions in the constitution require significant changes to enable the state government to adapt to changes, for example social, economic and political. However, the Constitution is not only full of criticisms and weaknesses, but over the years it has enabled the state government to address political needs. The groups attempted to protect their interests through constitutional amendments but failed. In summary, this procedure has achieved some results in modernizing the document, although some structural issues of state government require significant changes. The reason is that voters rejected any proposed constitutional amendment, so voter turnout was very low. A quote from the text that supports my claim is that “a minority of legislators – nicknamed “cockroaches” by Convention President Daniel – did not want a new constitution and attempted to delay or obstruct the work of theConvention on every occasion”. The historical reasons for the way the current constitution is composed are that it was chosen at the end of reconstruction and amended several times since then. It included limitations on elections and civil rights that were rejected. Furthermore, this constitution was composed to place strict limitations on the powers of the governor, the legislature, and other state authorities. The Texas Constitution is a good example of how limits can be placed on the power of a state government because it includes the three branches of Texas government, such as the legislative, executive, and judicial. As a result, a system called checks and balances was created so that no branch could dominate or become too powerful. The legislative branch has a 150-member House of Representatives and a 31-member Senate. They meet every two years in unusually numbered years and hold important meetings that can only be called by the governor. In contrast, the executive branch is a system in which an elected governor shares authority with independently chosen officials. In Texas, the plural executive is used, which places severe limitations on the governor's power. Finally, in the judicial branch, nearly all judges are elected with limited jurisdiction at the county level. Besides that, Texas has two courts, the first is the Supreme Court which handles civil matters, and the last is the Court of Criminal Appeals which handles criminal cases. Furthermore, there are three ways in which a national government could relate to its regional governments, such as federal, vested, and unitary. Interestingly, each of the core systems was used in the United States at different time periods. The unitary system gives the national government the power to create and impose restrictions on local or regional governments. In Texas, the unitary system is used to represent the association between state and local governments. In contrast, the confederal system relies on individual states maintaining sovereignty, and the authority of the national government is limited. Even before the Constitution of 1789 this fundamental system was applied in the United States. The United States Constitution makes more use of the federal system because it balances power and sovereignty between the national and state governments. They also get authority from the people. A political scientist might say that a federal system is part of the checks and balances put in place by those who wrote the United States Constitution because in the federal system, the national government and state governments have distinct powers and responsibilities. We are still trying to define federalism today because the relationships between federal, state, and local governments continue to change. Interestingly, there is a nickname for dual federalism which is “layer cake” and is a metaphor for the theory of intergovernmental relations. It was given this nickname because in the 19th century, from the 1790s to the 1930s, there was a concept in which the powers of both the national and state governments were distinguished with limited and overlapping duties. Metaphorically the layer cake illustrates that authorities and programs are divided into pieces between the federal, state, and local levels of government. On a side note, one of the federal grants is the categorical grant, this is federal money that can only be spent on certain benefits. Additionally, this is the source of most federal aid to state and local governments. There are two types of categorical grants, one of which is the project grant. It submits proposals from state and local governments to federal agencies and competes with others for funds. There are many grant programs that go from one thing to another, as in the construction of ai airportsyouth programs. The formula grant is the other categorical grant, it is allocated to states and local governments based on certain conditions, such as income levels or the population of the state. An example of this is Medicaid, Congress determines the specific requirements that people must qualify to receive this service. It is also important to note that many of these federal grants require matching funds. One reason is that it encourages state and local governments to dedicate themselves to their programs. In contrast, block grants are completely different from categorical grants. This is because President Nixon wanted to diminish the role of the federal government, so he consolidates them into block grants. Block grants are larger and give states and local governments more freedom with funding. The last federal subsidy proposed by President Nixon was revenue sharing, in which state and local governments accepted federal aid that could be used for all purposes. Furthermore, the county government is immensely divided with administrative powers unified by numerous chosen officials, such as the county government judge, the four commissioners, the district and county clerks, the tax collector-collector, the sheriff, and constables. The county commissioner's court is the main administrative body and has many responsibilities, it shares administrative functions with other independently elected officials, some of them must set tax rates and approve county expenses. Additionally, the county commissioner's court has four elected commissioners and an elected county judge who serves a four-year term. A county judge's responsibilities are to run the commissioner's court and are expected to participate in court discussions and vote on issues. They have some judicial responsibilities, but are not required to be lawyers. Additionally, a county clerk maintains important records and information, such as birth and death records and documents related to real estate transactions. On the other hand, a district clerk maintains court documents and records for safekeeping. A county attorney serves as a prosecutor for misdemeanor crimes such as misdemeanors in county courts. They can also provide legitimate guidance to open authorities. In contrast, the district attorney prosecutes major crimes, such as crimes in district courts. The tax collector-collector collects property taxes and other state taxes and fees. They are also responsible for appraising the property or determining its value. Sheriffs have nationwide authority, most of them are very discreet when hiring, promoting and firing workers. They serve as administrative officers for the district and county courts. The crucial function of the officers is to serve as administrative officers of the justice of the peace courts. However, they also have other tasks such as patrolling their areas, arresting people and conducting criminal investigations. The statement “Texas counties serve as the administrative arm of the state” means helping the community by issuing birth records, death records, real estate transaction documents, marriage licenses, and various other licenses required by state law. The state constitution provides the legislature with the ability to create, abolish, or modify counties. It also imposes specific requirements such as its size and the proximity of its borders to the county seat from which it is created. Therefore, the state constitution and the legislature are responsible for county government. Autonomous cities can implement any type of government chosen by residents as long as it does not interfere with the state constitution. Unfortunately, in Texas, theGovernment counties do not have basic legislative power to enact ordinances. This affects county operations because they are only allowed to operate if granted by the state. Texas' population has grown significantly and continues to do so. Unfortunately, there are not many Native American tribes due to Mirabeau B. Lamar's mix of government and state policies that wanted to exterminate them. There are only 3 tribes left living in Texas, Alabama-Coushatta, Tigua and Kickapoo, which make up 1% of the state's total population. Additionally, the Kickapoo opened a limited casino in Eagle Pass. Alabama-Coushatta and Tigua were denied the privilege of operating casinos on their reservations in 2015. In the 1820s and 1830s, Hispanics became a small minority of the population of Texas due to the rapid increase in Anglo immigration. The Hispanic population had dropped to 4% in 1887. However, it then began to increase to 12%, and then 18%, eventually reaching 25% in 1990. Hispanics continue to grow significantly and rapidly, making them the second largest demographic group in Texas. The Problem of Population Growth In 2014, the state population increased to 38.6%. Surprisingly, by 2042, the population rate is expected to rise to 50% for Hispanics. Currently, 8 Hispanics have been designated for statewide positions. On another note, African Americans landed in Texas as slaves; even though slavery ended with the Civil War, they still bear witness to a long history of political and economic discrimination. In the post-civil rights era, the African American population had increased due to cotton farming and the system of slavery. But that percentage had dropped to 30 percent after the war and stood at 12 percent in the 1960s. Furthermore, that percentage was also the same statistic recorded by the 2010 census for that year. In the 2020 census, African Americans are projected to make up 11% and 12% of the state's population. Finally, the largest demographic group is the Anglo-Saxon one. Anglos from Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, and North Carolina moved to Texas in the early 19th century and founded the individualistic subculture. In 2014, the population of Anglo-Saxons was 43.4%, although their population continues to expand, their share of the absolute population will continue to decline. The composition of the state's population has transformed significantly since 1860. Lately, some of these differences in wealth and income have become more evident among different racial groups in Texas. This is because Hispanics and African Americans experience the least economic success and are more likely to earn a lower income than Anglos or Asian Americans. In 2014, 33% of African Americans and 30% of Hispanics reported household income less than $25,000. In contrast, Asian Americans and Anglos have found the most economic success. Additionally, 38% of Asian Americans and 31% of Anglo families reported incomes above $100,000. Many Texans live in poor conditions, Hispanics are the majority living in poverty compared to any other racial group except household income. The median income for African American households was $42,582 and for Hispanics was $44,579. Additionally, Anglos also suffer from poverty, but the rates are drastically much lower than those of Hispanics. Unfortunately, children end up being hardest hit by poverty levels, especially those who are Hispanic or African American or who live in a single-parent household. Keep in mind:,.